Ling Learn Languages · Follow
8 min read · Aug 31, 2022
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Original blog post: https://ling-app.com/yue/how-to-read-addresses-in-cantonese/ (with audio🔊)
For a country filled with giant skyscrapers and busy cities, it’s essential to master reading addresses. If you are interested in that, let’s learn how to read addresses in Cantonese in today’s post!
Writing addresses is one of the essential things you need to learn in life but sometimes, it’s been taken for granted. Some people might also get confused writing their address, so how much more when you do it in a foreign language, especially Chinese characters? Today, we will learn how to read addresses in Cantonese. Let’s see how well you can do when you have to read an address written in Chinese characters.
Hong Kong is officially known as the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China. Therefore, Hong Kongers also use Chinese characters in writing addresses. But, Hong Kong has its postal system and customs area, despite being a special region inside the People’s Republic of China. As a result, mail delivered to Hong Kong should be addressed to Hong Kong, not China.
This is very important to learn, especially if you’re planning to live in Hong Kong for a very long time or if you’ll do business with companies in Hong Kong. A Hong Kong address includes the following:
1. Name of the addressee
2. Flat and Floor numbers
3. Building name
4. Building number and name of the street
5. Village name, town, or district (written in capital letters)
6. (Optional depending on destination) HONG KONG, KOWLOON, or NEW TERRITORIES as appropriate (in CAPITAL LETTERS).
7. (At least if the previous line was not HONG KONG) HONG KONG (in CAPITAL LETTERS to show the ‘destination country.’)
Now that you have learned the basic format of an address in Hong Kong, here are some things that you should remember. If you have successfully mastered how to read addresses in Cantonese/Chinese, asking and giving directions would also be a piece of cake. Remember to correct addressing matters in sending mail, especially if you’re sending international mail, so learning this is essential. It will also be helpful when you want to deliver something or know where a certain place is located.
There’s an easy way to correct addressing. You can choose between the Hongkong Post website and Hongkong Post Mobile App. It is developed to assist the general public in quickly determining the proper address format for local mail. You may also print the address on envelopes and address labels for mailing or other uses with the application.
But of course, even if you have a convenient way of correct addressing, you still need to learn how to read and write addresses manually. Here is more information that you need to learn for beginners.
1. Follow The Right Format
Hong Kong addresses are not as complicated as addresses in Mainland China. Here is the basic information that the Hong Kong address contains:
室 (Sat1) — Flat And 樓 (Lau2) — Floor Numbers
An apartment, also known as a flat, is a self-contained living unit located on the first floor of a building. It is important to include the flat and floor number in the address because there are many flats in Hong Kong, including those nano flats, which will continue to increase through the years.
楼 (Lau4) — Building Names
Hong Kong is also known for its buildings and skyscrapers. For residential buildings, they have flats, apartments, and other residential buildings like the Monster Building. Here are some examples of building names in Hong Kong:
- Highcliff (曉廬 hiu2 lou4)
- Kiu Kwan Mansion (僑冠大廈 kiu4 gun1 daai6 haa6)
- The Harbourside (君臨天下 gwan1 lam4 tin1 haa6)
- 39 Conduit Road (天匯 tin1 wui6)
- Aigburth (譽皇居 jyu6 wong4 geoi1)
- Monster Building (海景樓 hoi2 ging2 lau4)
- Montane Mansion (海山樓 hoi2 saan1 lau4)
- Fok Cheong Building (福昌樓 f*ck1 coeng1 lau4)
- Choi Hung Estate (彩虹邨 coi2 hung4 cyun1)
街名 (Gaai1 Meng2) — Name Of Streets
Hong Kong has one of the busiest cities in the world. If you are writing or reading an address, indicate the right city. Here are a few examples of cities in Hong Kong
Hong Kong Island
- Hollywood Road (荷李活道 ho4 lei5 wut6 dou6)
- Morrison Hill Road (摩利臣山 mo1 lei5 san4 saan1)
- Mount Austin Road (柯士甸道西 o1 si6 din6 dou6 sai1)
- Java Road (渣華道 zaa1 waa4 dou6)
- Shau Kei Wan Road (筲箕灣道 saau1 gei1 waan1 dou6)
- Cloud View Road (雲景道 wan4 ging2 dou6)
- Electric Road (電氣道 din6 hei3 dou6)
- A Kung Ngam Road (阿公岩 aa3 gung1 ngaam4)
- Bank Street (銀行街 ngan4 hang4 gaai1)
- Tin Hau Temple Road (天后廟道 tin1 hau6 miu6 dou6)
Kowloon And New Kowloon
- Apliu Street (鴨寮街 aap3 liu4 gaai1)
- Blenheim Avenue (白蘭軒道 baak6 laan4 hin1 dou6)
- Choi Wan Road (彩雲道 coi2 wan4 dou6)
- Duke Street (公爵街 gung1 zoek3 gaai1)
- Essex Crescent (雅息士道 ngaa5 sik1 si6 dou6)
- Fa Yuen Street (花園街 faa1 jyun4 gaai1)
- Gascoigne Road (加士居道 gaa1 si6 geoi1 dou6)
- Hanoi Road (河內道 ho4 noi6 dou6)
- Ichang Street (宜昌街 ji4 coeng1 gaai1)
- Jordan Road (佐敦 zo3 deon1)
New Territories
- Castle Peak Road (青山 cing1 saan1)
- Ching Cheung Road (呈祥道 cing4 coeng4 dou6)
- Fan Kam Road (粉錦公路 fan2 gam2 gung1 lou6)
- Kwai Chung Road (葵昌路 kwai4 coeng1 lou6)
- San Sham Road (新深路 san1 sam1 lou6)
- Sha Tau Kok Road (沙頭角公路 saa1 tau4 gok3 gung1 lou6)
- Tsuen Wan Road (荃灣路 cyun4 waan1 lou6)
- Tai Po Road(大埔公路 daai6 bou3 gung1 lou6)
- Route Twisk (荃錦公路 cyun4 gam2 gung1 lou6)
区 (Keoi1) — District
Hong Kong is divided into three administrative regions and 18 eighteen districts. Hong Kong Island (HK), Kowloon (KLN), and the New Territories are the three regions.
New Territories
- Islands (離島區 lei4 dou2 keoi1)
- Kwai Tsing (葵青區 kwai4 cing1 keoi1)
- North (北區 bak1 keoi1)
- Sai Kung (西貢區 sai1 gung3 keoi1)
- Sha Tin (沙田區 saa1 tin4 keoi1)
- Tai Po (大埔區 daai6 bou3 keoi1)
- Tsuen Wan (荃灣區 cyun4 waan1 keoi1)
- Tuen Mun (屯門區 tyun4 mun4 keoi1)
- Yuen Long (元朗區 jyun4 long5 keoi1)
Kowloon
- Kowloon City (九龍城區 gau2 lung4 sing4 keoi1)
- Kwun Tong (觀塘區 gun1 tong4 keoi1)
- Sham Shui Po (深水埗區 sam1 seoi2 bou6 keoi1)
- Wong Tai Sin (黃大仙區 wong4 daai6 sin1 keoi1)
- Yau Tsim Mong (油尖旺區 jau4 zim1 wong6 keoi1)
Hong Kong Island
- Central and Western (中西區 zung1 sai1 keoi1)
- Eastern (東區 dung1 keoi1)
- Southern (南區 naam4 keoi1)
- Wan Chai (灣仔區 waan1 zai2 keoi1)
2. Lines
In writing an address in China, you need to split it into two lines; in Hong Kong address, you don’t need that unless you write it for a mail, then you will split it into five (5) lines.
3. Postcode
When you are writing the address for mailing someone in Hong Kong, there’s one box that you can’t fill out, and that is the postal code. Unlike Mainland China, postcodes aren’t used in Hong Kong. China post uses the domestic postal code 999077, while Hong Kong has no postcodes (no postal codes) at this time.
4. Indicate If It’s From Mainland China, Taiwan, Or Hong Kong (For Mail)
It’s crucial to specify whether you’re sending a letter to mainland China or Taiwan if you’re sending one from another country. It’s crucial to identify whether you’re sending a letter to mainland China or Taiwan if you’re sending one from another country. Use either “P. R. China” or “ROC Taiwan” to ensure that it will be sent to the right place. It’s quite acceptable to format and write the address in English when mailing a letter to Hong Kong.
Examples Of Hong Addresses
- Rm.2303 23/F. 1 Harbour Rd. Wanchai,Wan Chai District,Hongkong
- Rm1509 Chevalier Comm. Center 8 Wang Hoi Rd. Kowloon Bay,Kowloon City District,Hongkong
- #19 G/F Yau Kom Tau Village,Hong Kong,Hongkong
- Unit C 14/F. Yun Tat Comm. Bldg. 70–74 Wuhu Street Hung Hom,Yau Tsim Mong District,Hongkong
- Rm 101 The Centre Mark 287–299 Queen’s Road Central, Wan Chai District, Hongkong
- Flat C 23/F. Bk 1 Golden Dragon Ind. Ctr Kwai Chung,Kwai Tsing District,Hongkong
- Unit 5 11 / F Man Lee Ind Bldg,Hong Kong,Hongkong
- Rm 3 4 9 / F. Vanta Ind. Centre 21–33 Tai Lin Pai Rd. Kwai Chung,Kwai Tsing District,Hongkong
- Room 1007# 2–16 Wangjiao Garden Streetwangjiao Garden Street,Hong Kong,Hongkong
- Room 701 Wang Cheong Enterprise Center65–69 Kok Street, Chai Wan, Hongkong
- Use blue or black ink instead of red when writing to Chinese people. It is considered unlucky to write a name in red.
- Because a red envelope connotes a particular monetary contribution, a different color envelope could be preferable for most applications.
- Before sending a piece of mail, ensure the sender’s address is correct, the addressee’s address is accurate, and the postage is appropriate.
- Leave at least the bottom 16 millimeters (5/8 inch) blank on both the front and back of an envelope or postcard. (This space may be required by the postal service’s reading and sorting machines to print bar codes on your mail.)
Exploring Hong Kong is incredible. After learning how to read addresses in Cantonese, you might want to learn more because there’s so much more to discover. Learning the language should be on your list. This is the gateway to learning more about the country, the culture, and the people. Luckily, Ling App can help you with that.
With Ling App, you can choose any topic you like and learn it fun and convenient way. You’ll be motivated to learn with the fun mini-games and quizzes. You will also improve your language skills with well-developed features like dialogues, a spaced-repetition system, and a speech recognition system.
Do not miss this opportunity to learn Cantonese innovatively. Just search and download the app or go to the website to start your first Cantonese lesson now!
